Information for New Sandostatin LAR® Depot Patients
When you begin treatment with once-a-month Sandostatin LAR® Depot (octreotide acetate for injectable suspension), your treatment plan will progress in 1 of 2 ways:
- If your doctor has prescribed Sandostatin LAR® Depot for the first time, you will probably start treatment on the daily-injection form of the drug. For the first 2 weeks, you will give yourself daily injections of immediate release Sandostatin® (octreotide acetate) Injection. These subcutaneous (under the skin) injections are repeated 2 to 4 times a day. There are 2 reasons why it is important to begin your therapy with daily injections. First, this allows your doctor to observe how well immediate release Sandostatin® Injection is working at the starting dose, and second, it helps to determine if you are experiencing any side effects. Your doctor may adjust the dose during this time, and patients on higher doses may be more likely to experience side effects such as gastrointestinal symptoms. Usually, the symptoms are temporary, lasting only 2 to 8 weeks. Once your doctor has seen how you are responding to and tolerating immediate release Sandostatin® Injection, you will most likely be switched to once-a-month Sandostatin LAR® Depot.
- If you are currently receiving daily injections of immediate release Sandostatin® Injection, your doctor may switch you directly to once-a-month Sandostatin LAR® Depot. As with patients prescribed Sandostatin LAR® Depot for the first time, you will be given a starting dose for the first 2 to 3 months. At that point, your dose may be continued at the same level, or changed based on your progress.
